Prince Frog
by eien yurai
Summary: Jareth once said that he's make Hoggle a prince. What would happen if he really did make good on that promise? Jareth's DEFINETLY plotting something.
1. Changes are Good

Introduction:All right. I'll admit it. First ever Labyrinth fic. Ever. And that's funny because I've liked the movie ever since I was little (and I was attracted to Jareth even back then). And, first off, I do need to say that I love Jareth/Sara, but that's been done so many times, I wanted to do something different. I can't figure if anyone would want to read this or not, but hey, different is often good.   
  
Disclaimer:If there is any way in hell I could come up with a story like the Labyrinth, would I be posting crappy fan fiction up on the net, the last refuse of the untalented (well, most of them)?  
  
Excuses:I'm listening to rave music.   
  
  
  
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Prince Frog  
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Chapter 1: Change is Good  
  
  
  
Hoggle watched Sara as she rummaged through her locker, dragging out papers months old with doodles of fantasy lands on the backs, along with issues of old magazines she had long since forgotten she put in there. She pushed her hair behind her ears, sighed, and scooped out volumes of trash that had mysteriously multiplied since the beginning of the year. Where did it all come from? She pulled out a sheet of paper, and gazed at it, as if surprised of its existence in her locker. Carefully, she folded it up, and placed it in her pocket. Carrying an armful of all the junk she could manage, Sara made her way to the trashcan and dumped it. There, all done. Now she could go home and prepare for finals. Chemistry would be a toughie, but with any luck, she could pass with flying colors. She glanced at her rather unfeminine watch and jumped. She would be late for Jared. Better hurry. And off she went to meet her boyfriend in the parking lot.   
  
Hoggle sighed and observed as the Mirror's image flickered and writhed and finally disappeared, only to reappear as a reflection of him. The Mirror always phased out erratically for Hoggle, it would only stay on a single image for its owner and master, King Jareth.   
  
After the affair with Sara and the loss of half his power, the Goblin King had supposedly created and installed the Mirror to keep watch on Sara so that she might never mess with his petty kingdom again. Right. His subjects didn't believe it either. Jareth spent most of his time up in the Seeing Room these days, when he wasn't being a tyrannical ruler.   
  
Hoggle had first discovered the mirror when he was ordered to dust the entire Goblin Castle as punishment for being instrumental in the Fairy-Mermaid Compromise. The fairies and mermaids both lived in the only clear lake in the entire kingdom, Reflection, and had continuously fought over the territory for as long as anyone could remember. Hoggle had been contracted to build a bridge over the lake, and found he could only do so if the two species of creatures would stop battling, so he had organized a cease-fire and peace conference. Everything had worked out really well until Jareth found out about it. He didn't like things going on his kingdom that he had no participation in. And so Hoggle had been punished.   
  
The Seeing Room was at the very top of the Northern Spire, hidden behind a painting of a knight in shining armor. The Mirror was a stand up, 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide, framed in silver with intricate designs of eyeballs, giving it a rather creepy total image. The full title of the Seeing Tool was the Minute Mirror, so called because it was a window into the minute ago past, anywhere in the world. Hoggle knew that his King didn't want him there. That was obvious. But what Jareth didn't know didn't hurt Hoggle. So the little dwarf visited the room often and was very careful to avoid the Goblin King. All the goblins knew that Jareth was temperamental, especially about a certain little human girl. More than once the King had been seen storming down from the Seeing Room, blowing all goblins in sight away. The entire kingdom was forbidden to talk about Sara and any mention of her lead to a nice swim in the Bog of Eternal Stench.   
  
It had been about a year since Sara's adventure in the Labyrinth and she was in her last year of high school. In the beginning, Sara had continuously called for Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Diddymas. But those callings had become less frequent and eventually stopped all together. So Hoggle was stuck simply watching her in the Minute Mirror. But that in itself was something.   
  
Sara had started dating Jared about a half a year ago, and Hoggle didn't like the boy, and neither did Jareth for that matter. Jared looked exactly like a certain Goblin King, minus thick make-up (and Hoggle was sure the boy did wear some, nobody had that clear of skin), tight paints, a wacky 80's hairdo, and a couple years. Sara seemed to like the boy a lot though, to the chagrin of the dwarf and the King. A lot a lot. Too much, in Hoggle's opinion. Far too much of a pretty boy for Sara. Sara needed someone down to earth, a dependable, loyal guy. But she was on the other side of the Mirror, and as everyone knows, the only way to get to the Aboveground is to be invited. Which Hoggle and Jareth were not.   
  
Hoggle glanced at his jewel imbedded watch. Shit! The Goblin King was due up here any minute. Better make himself scarce. The dwarf was just about to make his exit when here heard the sound of leather boots on the stairwell, a very specific sound, and one that Hoggle feared most of all.   
  
Oh! Um... behind the Mirror, hurry! Hoggle slipped behind the Mirror, a place he always forgot to dust, just in time as Jareth stalked into the room, something he did very well. The King of Goblins was dressed in black finery, mostly silk. He wore the usual black tights, with leather boots reaching up to his knee. He shirt was especially old fashioned, the kind with puffy sleeves and open at the chest with delicate ruffles. The cape made of some indescribable substance flowed like black blood, dripping over Jareth's back like some needy lover, and fastened with a silver chain incrusted with sapphires that matched Jareth's eyes.   
  
"Sara," Jareth ordered the Mirror. Hoggle could feel the Mirror vibrate slightly as it sought its prey, notably faster for Jareth than for him. It was suddenly still, and Hoggle could see his King's eyes soften as he gazed at its image. With a sweep of his cape, Jareth sat down on the ruby glittering chair in front of the Mirror. Even though Hoggle couldn't see the Mirror's image, he could hear it.   
  
Sara walking, the sound of her feet becoming faster, and then her giving a cry of joy: "Jared!" (This drew a growl from both Hoggle and Jareth)   
  
"Sara!" A familiar voice, devoid of an accent. Him sweeping her up in his arms. "Finally clear up that damn locker?"   
  
"Yeah, you have no idea of all the stuff I found, stuff I completely forgotten about." A ruffling of paper and denim.   
  
"What's that?"   
  
"Hm? Just some old doodle of mine."   
  
"Let me see."   
  
"On, no you don't." Playful wrestling, sounding like it ended in a kiss. "Just don't laugh at it."   
  
Unfolding of paper. "No, it's good. I didn't know you could draw that well. But who, may I ask, is the fairy boy in the tight pants?" ("Fairy boy?" Jareth growled)  
  
Laughter. "The old sexy nemesis of my fantasies. You don't think he looks hot?" (A pleased smile from said nemesis)  
  
"Let's not go there. And who's the dwarf?"   
  
"Huh? That's Hoggle."   
  
"Hodgepot?"   
  
"Hoggle. He happens to be a very dear friend, so leave him alone."   
  
"You are so weird."   
  
"That's why you love me." More kissing.   
  
Very dear friend. That sounded nice. Better than sexy nemesis, any way. Hoggle sighed silently, stirring up the dust on the back of the Mirror. Oh no. Not good.   
  
"ACHOO!" Crap.   
  
Hoggle heard the rustling of silk, the clicking of leather heels, and then the Minute Mirror was pushed away revealing a very scared dwarf to an angry Goblin King.   
  
"G-Good evenin', Master Jareth. Pleasant time to get a liddle ahead on castle dustin'."   
  
A rather evil smile, displaying very sharp white teeth, crept into Jareth's face. "Come come, Hogwartz. Is that the best excuse you could muster?"   
  
"Do I look like Harry Potter to you? An' who said I was givin' you excuses? I-I just-"   
  
"Do you know the punishment for lying to a King, especially a Goblin King, in the Underground?"   
  
"Um, well, as a matter of fact, no. But perhaps you could inform me... some other time?"  
  
Jareth leaned closer, towering over the shaking dwarf. Speaking slowly, in clear, precise, drawn out words, "Tell you what. Why don't we play a game." It was not a question.   
  
"What kind of game?"   
  
"My kind of game." The handsome Fae King roughly grabbed Hoggle and set him upon the chair. "I told you once that I'd turn you into a prince. I think I might finally make do on that promise."   
  
"I-It wasn't a promise. An' you already did, anyway."   
  
"Quiet." The Goblin King brought Hoggle's face very close to his, so close the dwarf could smell the King's perfumed breath. "Now, I want to think of your princess."  
  
Before Hoggle could respond, "What princess?" the image of Sara drifted into his mind. He was suddenly very uncomfortable and taller than Jareth.   
  
"Ah yes. Clothes." The king snapped his fingers. The uncomfortable feeling was gone. Jareth scrutinized Hoggle. "Well, not typically prince-like, but I suppose it will do for a modern one. No come off the chair and look at yourself."   
  
Hoggle, unused to having legs longer than a foot, nearly toppled off the chair. Jareth caught him and looked him up and down when they were both on even floor. The once-dwarf was rather disappointed at being slightly shorter than the King; he liked the feeling of Jareth looking up at him. "The Mirror," The King said, and shoved Hoggle in it's direction.   
  
And... all the curse words Hoggle had used since he was two left his brain as he stared in rapture at his new reflection. Princely was definitely a word to use, if not just plain handsome.   
  
He was tall, at least six feet, if not more, with a muscular frame, not overly so, but strong, and yet managed to pull off being long and lanky. Jareth had dressed him in dark jeans, with leather lace up boots without (thank god) any heels. A white dress shirt, a size too large and slightly loose, covered chest features that the majority of women would drool over. It wasn't all left to the imagination though, the top three buttons open. Blonde hair fell into his eyes, which had miraculously become an emerald green. His hair was bleach blond, cut short except for his bangs. High cheekbones graced his face, devoid of any hair. Elegantly sculpted lips, containing a set of perfectly straight white teeth, accented his face. His nose however, was just slightly too prominent and crooked.   
  
"You did that on purpose."   
  
The Goblin King shrugged like only he could, sensuously and nonchalantly. "Even I cannot change everything. This is as much of a Prince as I can make you out to be. I'm rather pleased with it."   
  
"Now what am I goin' to do? It's not like this does me any good. You do this jus' to tease me."   
  
Jareth tsked. "Have you so little faith in me?" he said sarcastically. "She, your Sara, invited you. Go to her, Prince Hoggle. Or should I say, Prince Frog. That is what your name means in the Goblin dialect, you know."   
  
Hoggle gaped. "You mean... I can... to Sara?"   
  
"Yes... you can... to Sara," the Goblin King spat, mimicking him. "Now, go to her!"   
  
And with that, Jareth pushed Hoggle into the Mirror, and to the surprise of a dwarf-turned-prince, he went through.   
  
  
  
  
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Well? Bit long, I know. But I had much to say! Shorter next, I promise. Please review and tell me if you like it. 


	2. Changes Lead to Odd Situations

Introduction:I'm actually writing this before I've even posted up the first chapter. I'm on a major roll here. I also just re-watched the movie and still have no idea how to reproduce Hoggle's way of talking. And there is plot to this. GOOD plot. Believe me. I just haven't gotten to it yet. Also, I know the majority of Laby fanfiction likes to portray Jareth as a... very good and caring person. And no doubt he is, but I tend to believe that he'd never show anybody that side of himself. So, though he may act evil in my fic, he isn't. Not really. He just likes to act that way.   
  
Disclaimer:I do not own the Labyrinth or any of its characters and I am not making a single bit of profit out of this.   
  
Excuses:I have a preoccupation with princes and seductive Goblin Kings.   
  
  
  
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Prince Frog  
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Chapter 2: Change Leads to Odd Situations  
  
  
  
  
  
Hoggle was falling. Fast. And he couldn't see the bottom. No matter how much he flailed his newly found long limbs he couldn't slow himself down. Screaming into the oncoming rush of air was to no avail. All the obscenities that had left him moments before came back to him and he yelled them into great oblivion in which he was falling. He cursed Jareth, he cursed goblins, he cursed all kings and princes, and he cursed himself for being so stupid as to trust Jareth.   
  
Then there was light.   
  
An all encompassing and suffocating light that drowned him in its glory and brightness until he couldn't breathe.   
  
And then it stopped. It stopped so suddenly Hoggle thought he would hurl the contents of his stomach up on the welcomed ground. Instead, he re-swallowed his lunch and gazed about him. Parking lot almost empty of cars. Where in the seven hells... school. Sara's school. He recognized the high school grounds of his beloved friend and nearly puked all over again with nervousness. The Aboveground. The only place the dwarf-prince Aboveground before was Sara's bedroom. This was new. The sky was different, as was the air. Less clean, but clearer, somehow. Aboveground, a place coveted intensely by the Goblin King.   
  
A white SUV drove into the parking lot. Hoggle's first reaction was to run and hide, but he stood his ground, reminding himself he looked damn fine as he was now, if his face wasn't green.   
  
"I can't believe you forgot a change of clothes."   
  
"Can it. I think it was my unconscious desire to not have to wear that strappy black dress you gave me. Pull over here."   
  
The car parked at the other end of the lot, and a black haired girl jumped out. "Be back in sec!"   
  
Hoggle stood stunned as Sara made her way over to him. She was wearing a pair of denim jeans with black converse high tops. Her flannel jacket was green and blue, covering a rather sexy black tank top. A refusal to conform. She smiled at him when she passed by, but that was it.   
  
Oh, yeah, she couldn't recognize him.   
  
"Sara!"   
  
She turned and looked at him he trotted on over.   
  
"Um... I'm sorry but do I know you?" she asked.   
  
All right. Think of something cool and sexy to say. "You don't know me but I know you." Oh, great. Way to go, Hoggle.   
  
A moment of surprise passed over her face. Then she smirked. "Well, I think I can say that I don't want to know you. So I think I'll be going now." She turned away and began walking to her locker.   
  
"No! Wait! I'm sorry!" he called after her.   
  
Her pace sped up. "No, I don't think so." She turned to see if her was following her, which he was. A moment of fear. "Look! I'll have you know I have a boyfriend who's big and I'm a pretty muscular girl myself..." she yelled back at him, still walking. Well, now she was running.   
  
"Don't run way! Wait! Ah, hell... I KNOW ABOUT THE LABYRINTH!"   
  
That stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned. "What?"   
  
Hoggle got caught up to her, panting. "I know your name's Sara and you conquered King Jareth's Labyrinth over a year ago to get back your baby brother."   
  
Sara looked up at him, suspicious. Though it was nice to have her look up at him. "How did you know that and who and what are you?"   
  
"I, ah... happen to be a resident of that kingdom."   
  
"What's your name?"   
  
"Hah... Frog." She stared at him. "Well, that's not my REAL name, but it's what I go by."   
  
Looking him up and down (and Hoggle could tell she was pleased), she asked, "And what are you?"   
  
"A prince." Big smile.   
  
"Riiight... I guess everything isn't the way it seems. Walk me to my locker and we'll talk."   
  
"Okay."   
  
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The Goblin King of the Labyrinth rolled his eyes. "Brilliant job, you buffoon. Keep this up and we'll have you married by midnight," he said to no one in particular. All right, he can admit it to himself. He was jealous. Figures the dwarf can go Above when he can't. Fairy Tales always work like that. But Jareth knew some things that the tellers of Fairy Tales didn't. Fae always did things with reason, and always with a double angle. Fae are very self-serving creatures, and they play by the rules of Fae, which no one else knows. And in the games they create, they always win. But if, perchance, they don't, they always get even.   
  
The King held out his hand and a crystal goblet of blood red wine appeared in it. Taking a delicate sip, he congratulated himself on his latest plan on Sara. The human girl intrigued him, and he was determined to win the next game. Now, possession of her wasn't enough, not hardly. Possession was an idea of the lesser Great. And Jareth was most certainly not lesser.   
  
He laughed as he downed the rest of the thick, red liquid.   
  
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"What do you know of the Labyrinth?" Sara asked as they turned the corner.   
  
"Well, everythin', really. I live there."   
  
"Ah. And you're a Prince... how?"   
  
"Ummm... well you see, it's like, er, how to put it? I'm Jareth's... nephew, see, and by blood lineage that means-"  
  
"The Goblin King has a sister?"   
  
"Well, yes. He has lots of family, actually. Multitudes of brothers and sisters, and too many fiancées to count-"  
  
"FIANCEES?"   
  
"Er, yes. Jareth never gets rid of any of them, he just adds more to the mix-"  
  
"Hmph. Is he married?"   
  
"Oh, LORD, no. He's not exactly the marryin' type, is he? I think the first girl almost got him there, but that was aroun' the time the Labyrinth was bein' built, so he got off track. Some girl's always out for half the kingdom, but he has a thing with women, see? You, refusin' him an' all, were the closest I've ever seen him to bein' serious about-"  
  
"Me?"   
  
"Would you STOP interrupting me?"   
  
"Oh, sorry. We're here." She carefully entered her locker combination, blocking Hoggle's view of it. "So, tell me, why are you here?"   
  
"Er, you invited me?"   
  
"I did what?" Sara asked, startled, taking a plastic bag full of clothes out of her locker.   
  
"You invited me. No one Underground can get Aboveground without being invited."   
  
Closing her locker, she said, "But I didn't. Why would I invite you and how? I don't even know you. Look, there's a pre-graduation party I got to go to." She paused. "But I want to talk to you more. There are a lot of things I was never able to understand about the Labyrinth." Sara muttered for a second, and Hoggle could have sworn she mumbled, "Like how to get back."   
  
"Well," he said. "Your party doesn't start until later, right? An' I have nowhere to go. We can go get... food, or something, an' I'll give you a ride to your party when it starts." And no, Hoggle didn't know how he was going to get a ride, let alone pay for a meal, but he could get past those obstacles when he came to them. Sticking with Sara was the most important thing.   
  
She looked surprised. "Yeah, I guess that would work. Come with me while a tell Jared I'll meet at the party and after we'll go to Starbucks."   
  
Jared? Oh, yeah. "Uh, sure."   
  
They walked in silence back to the parking lot. Sara seemed mildly surprised and irritated at herself for going with Hoggle. But she needed to know more about the Labyrinth, and Hoggle knew it bothered her how little she knew about her experiences there. He could give her a lot of information, but whether or not Jareth would be mad at him for giving it away was another matter. Please let it be okay.   
  
Back at the parking lot, Jared was rather pissed that Sara had taken too long and was with another guy, a handsome other guy. "What took you so long and who's this guy?" he asked, opening the car door.   
  
"Jared, this is an old friend of mine, Frog. We haven't seen each other in ages and we have a lot of catching up to do. He says he can give me a rid to the party, so could I meet you there?"   
  
"But..." Jared paused to glare daggers at Hoggle. "This was kinda supposed to be a date. What kind of name is Frog any way?"   
  
Sara smiled patiently. "It's still is a date and I'll still be going home with you afterwards." She leaned into the car and kissed him full on the mouth. "Okay?"   
  
That seemed to pacify him a little. "Okay, but don't be late," he growled. "Do you need your bag in the trunk of the car? It's open."   
  
"Thanks," she said, slightly relieved Jared was okay with it. She moved around to the back of the car to get her other stuff.   
  
Jared eyed Hoggle up and down, as is trying to find something wrong with him. He leaned over closer to Hoggle, Jared's face shifting to a menacing smile. His voice quickly becoming deeper and commanding and undeniably familiar. "If she isn't there by 6:30 sharp and I can't find her anywhere Aboveground, there'll be hell to pay."   
  
All Hoggle could do was answer an affirmative "Meep."   
  
Sara came back around the car, Jared's face transforming itself back to what it was before. "All right. Bye, sweetie," she said, kissing him one more time.   
  
"See you later," he returned, kissing her back possessively. Hoggle felt like groaning.   
  
Hoggle and Sara backed away from the car as it started up. Jared waved one last time at Sara, glared at Hoggle, and drove off.   
  
After the moment of silence, Hoggle stated, "You're a very good liar."   
  
"I've had great practice with my parents," she responded, smiling guiltily. "Take this," she said, handing Hoggle her bag she got from the back of the car. "Right now it's 3:30 and the party starts at 6:30. That gives us three hours for you to tell me everything you know about the Labyrinth and the Goblin King. Starbucks is two blocks down. Let's go."   
  
Hoggle felt like cheering as they walked down the sidewalk. Three hours with Sara! How long had it been? He reached into his pocket and found, much to his delight, a cell phone and a wad of money. Perfect! Perhaps he could applaud Jareth just this once. What was the cell phone for? Figure out later.   
  
Jared's threat drifted back into his mind. Wait a sec, why did he use the term 'Aboveground'?  
  
  
  
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All right, pretty boring chapter and I'm not that great of a writer. Next chapter is going to be pretty much Sara and Hoggle ('scuse me, Frog) discussing the history of the Labyrinth and Jareth, but the one after that is going to be fun! 


	3. Change Can be Bad to Keep Old Stories Se...

Introduction:Eek! I just reread the last chapter and discovered a bunch of typos I missed. I guess I have to reread these things at least three times to get them all correct. Sorry this took so long to get posted up. Summer does that to you. And on the name Jared, I don't know the correct spelling, I just made it up. Probably heard it somewhere before. But I'll keep my spelling of it.   
  
Disclaimer:Me no own Labyrinth.   
  
Excuses:I always wanted to explain the why and how of the Labyrinth and this chapter is my way of putting up my ideas.   
  
  
  
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Prince Frog  
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Chapter 3: Change Can be Bad to Keep Old Stories Secret  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a lot easier to walk with longer legs, Hoggle reflected. No useless scuffling of feet, just nice and gentle stretching of limbs. And boy, he could he walk faster, too. Come to think of it, if he raced Sara, he could probably win. What a nice thought. Hoggle sped up, just a little, using his long legs for all they were worth.   
  
Sara kept herself at a even pace, and somehow she kept up with him. Her hair was the same length as it had been a year ago, when they first met. If she was wearing any make-up, Hoggle couldn't tell. He did notice her skin was darker, slightly tanned. Hoggle had watched her go through phases when he used to visit her room and watch her in the Minute Mirror. She had gone through a distinct punk phase, actually dying her hair purple. Luckily enough, it was wash out, so she was back to her regular black. When she had briefly joined the drama group at school, she had begun wearing a ton of make-up, the pink glossy lipstick especially noticeable. However, she'd gotten into a fight with the lead of the play (he kissed her without her permission and she punched him in the face) and quit. Much to Hoggle's amusement, that had lead to the punk phase, but she eventually returned to her old self.   
  
Sara eyed him warily. "Why are you looking at me like that?"   
  
Hoggle blushed and looked away. "Huh... like what?"   
  
"Like you're looking at me as if you're proud of me."   
  
"Oh. Sorry. Is this the place?" They were standing before a cafe with strange gothic people sitting out on the patio. The goths gave them uncaring and unfriendly looks (the kind only goths can manage) as they stopped in front of it.   
  
"Yeah. You like Starbucks?"   
  
"Never had it, actually."   
  
"Missing out in the Underground."   
  
"You'd actually be surprised how good the food is there."   
  
Sara smiled. "I don't think I'd eat anything fixed by goblins."   
  
Hoggle declined to respond by telling her he actually fixed his own meals. Princes surely don't fix their own meals. Jareth didn't.   
  
"C'mon. Order something and we'll get a seat by the window." She walked up to the counter and ordered a Grande Chai tea. Since Hoggle knew absolutely nothing about caffeene-laced beverages, he ordered the same thing. While they were waiting for their drinks, Sara looked him up and down again. "You know, you look nothing like Jareth for being his nephew."   
  
"Um, well, people say I take after my mother."   
  
"So your father is Jareth's brother?"   
  
"Um, no." Hoggle had already decided that he was going to be the son of the only relative of the King's he'd ever met, his sister, Morgan. "My mother is Jareth's sister."   
  
"They look nothing a like?"   
  
"No, actually. My mother is very petite and delicate, but she has a big nose." Which was true about Lady Morgan, but that did not stop her from being incredibly attractive and commanding.   
  
"Ah, here they are." The chai tea was sweet and amazingly rich and creamy. Could do with a bit of brandy though.   
  
They sat in the corner of the coffee shop, by the window. It was a single round table with two chairs (a bit too small for the six foot Prince Frog). Sara's fine black hair draped her face as she bent down to sip her tea. Her lips were pink and looked very soft. She looked at him with a certain direct frankness in her eyes. "So, spill. Tell me everything about the Labyrinth and the Underground." She put her right elbow on the table and propped her chin up on her hand to look at him eye to eye.   
  
"Right. Where to start? First of all, no one knows how the Underground became, it just always was. It's populated by everything, all the fantastic animals and peoples that the Aboveground writes about in books, like unicorns and dragons and griffins and things. It's been ruled by various dynasties. Before the Fae, it was the dragons, before that, the winged peoples, and so on. There's a whole lot of myths coming up with ideas about who first contacted the Aboveground, and why, but they're just legends."   
  
"Fair enough," said Sara. "No one really knows how our universe started either."   
  
"Any way, like I said, the Underground is currently ruled by the Fae. And they've always been around, since anyone can remember. Fae have always coveted the Aboveground, they always want what they aren't allowed to touch. King Jareth is the first son of the High King, Lord Raiden of the White sword. He was in line to inherit the Sword, only, he don't get along well with his father. Raiden had picked for Jareth a bride, but then it came about that Jareth already had a wife that he'd married in secret. A human girl. You gotta understand, I don't know a whole lot about this affair, before my time an' all, and the King really doesn't like to talk about it. So Jareth was disinherited from the Sword and banished along with his human wife. But the Queen, his mother, took pity on him, and gave him leave to create the Labyrinth. Only, it wasn't a Labyrinth, not back then, just a kingdom. He lived happily with his wife (who was granted immortality along with the Fae while in the Underground)."   
  
"Then the Great War began. Jareth's younger siblings, brothers and sisters, had been fighting over the Sword, and the High King refused to do anything, preferring to let them battle it out. King Jareth himself was not drawn into it, long since given up on the White Sword. The War raged for one hundred years destroying more than half the Underground, until Lady Rune, the Queen and Jareth's mother, ended it herself by cursing every last one of her children and throwing them into exile."   
  
"Jesus." Sara was shocked.   
  
"Since then, the Royal Couple has only produced one offspring, my mother, Lady Morgan, heir to the White Sword. She gets along with Jareth. They're a lot alike," Hoggle said grimly.   
  
"But what happened to all the princes that were cursed?"   
  
"Princes and Princesses. They were sent to their elder brother, King Jareth, to stay with him until their penance is paid."   
  
"But when I was there, I didn't see any other Fae other than Jareth."   
  
"Well, you didn't see Fae, but you saw goblins, didn't you?"   
  
"You're kidding."   
  
"No, Lady Rune transformed all her own children into goblins, shortening their lifespan, and when one hundred generations have come and gone, she will take their children, remove the curse, and welcome them back into her castle."   
  
"Scary woman," Sara breathed.   
  
"Far more powerful than her husband. They always hated each other. The Queen's only love in life is her son Jareth, and when he was banished, she took the pain out on her husband."   
  
"What about Jareth? You said he never married."   
  
"His marriage to the human girl was never recognized by anyone, not even by the subordinates in his own kingdom. After the Great War, and Jareth found himself surrounded by his deformed siblings, he began to build the Labyrinth. No explanation why. Soon after it was finished, she left him, and returned to the Aboveground, to live out her days as a mortal."   
  
"After he gave up the Sword for her?"   
  
"Well, Jareth isn't great at long relationships. I don't think he ever wanted the Sword in the first place."   
  
"Poor guy. But the thing he does, when he takes human children from the Aboveground, why does he do that?"   
  
"Jareth's siblings needed mates. They're already inbred."   
  
"They're forced to marry them?"   
  
"Not really. The children are turned into goblins, and make their living as one, marrying is part of the natural order of things."   
  
"You also said Jareth had a lot of fiancées."   
  
"He has lots of woman. The Goblin King's family isn't the only Fae in the Underground. He also has a thing for mortals like yourself."   
  
Sara sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. "Your history's a lot darker than I thought."   
  
"That's not all of it," Hoggle said, sipping the tea.   
  
"Hey, Frog, do you know a little guy named Hoggle?"   
  
Hoggle nearly sprayed chai tea all over the table, but caught himself at the last minute. "Um, kinda, he's just a little dwarf, right?"   
  
"Yeah, he's a friend of mine. Haven't seen him in a while. Is he okay?"   
  
"Well, I'm sure... he's fine."   
  
She smiled. "I'm sure he is. Tough little bloke."   
  
There was a pause. "Jared seems like a nice guy." Total lie, but Hoggle very much wanted to hear about him.   
  
"He is. Just a simple good guy."   
  
"He does look a lot like... my uncle."   
  
"I thought so too, at first, but his personality is completely different. Far too nice to be a Goblin King."   
  
Jared's possessive face grinned nastily at Hoggle in his mind. "How much do you know about him?"   
  
"Jareth said he would be my slave," she said quietly. Sara was still looking up at the ceiling, Hoggle couldn't see her face. "He said, 'Fear me, love me, and I will be your slave.'"   
  
"Sara?"   
  
"Did he mean that? Would he have let me become his Queen?"   
  
"Sara, he's promised many girls that. Jareth keeps them for awhile, but in the end, he sends them away."   
  
She looked down and smiled at him. Hoggle couldn't read her. "Looks like I made the right choice after all."   
  
Hoggle would have given anything to know what she was thinking.   
  
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Jareth the King of Goblins wrapped himself up in his silk cloak. The jewel-encrusted chair was uncomfortable. Staring impassively at the mirror, he shifted, stretching long agile limbs.   
  
"Silly fool," he murmured to the air. "You have no idea what I intended for her. How dare you feed her your own lies. Do you have any idea how much it cost me to let her go? Half of my power. You haven't even told her the whole story. This game will finish my way on my terms."   
  
His ivory hand made a fist, long nails digging into the skin of their owner. Blood leaked out underneath them. A grim smile displayed fangs. The Goblin King flicked his wrist, and blood splattered onto the Minute mirror. "Blood pact, you and I. Blood pact, my little Prince."   
  
  
  
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I originally intended this to be a light romantic comedy, only I have a hard time doing that. This story has a mind of it's own. Please review and tell me if it's still okay. 


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